Means for ventilating milk and cream during the process of separation.



No. 699,732. Patented May l3, I902.

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MEANS FOR VENTILATING MILK AND CREAM DURING THE PROCESS OF SEPARATION.(Application film! My 6, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1., I

wliqeszes EVER] fly A.H.BORGSTROM.

P a t ented May I3, 1902. A. H. BDRGSTRUM. MEANS FOR VENTILATING MILKAND CREAM DURING THE PROCESS OF SEPARATION.

(Application filed May 6. 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A.H.BoResTR6M.

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UNTTETD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR IIJALMAR BORGSTRCM, OF HELSINGFORS, RUSSIA.

MEANS FOR VENTILATING MILK AND CREAM DURING THE PROCESS OF SEPARATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,782, dated May 13,1902. Application fi led May 6, 1901. Serial No. 58,936. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LARTHUR HJALMAR Bone- STREfiM, a subject of the Emperorof Russia, residing at No. 5 Mariegatan, Helsingfors, Finland, in theEmpire of Russia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMeans for Ventilating Milk and Cream During the Process of Separation,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process and an apparatus by means of which themilk and cream in the cream-separator are protected from contact withthe air in the room where the separation takes place, and at the sametime air is conducted to the separator from the outer atmosphere bymeans of a simple arrangement of piping, thuseffecting a beneficialventilation of the milk and cream.

A ventilation of its kind certainly always takes place during theprocess of separation in a centrifugal cream-separator in consequence ofthe rapid rotation of the machine and the current of air createdthereby, which causes a very thorough ventilation of the milk and creamin the separator-bowl as well as in the lids and tubes of the separator;but this ventilation though thorough cannot be admitted to beabeneficial one as it has hitherto been permitted to proceed. Even inthe best-conducted dairies the air is not as pure as it should be, andat all events it is not as pure as the outer atmosphere,whereas in separating-stations and small household dairies the air is often impure tosuch an extent that the ventilation taking place during the separationis more injurious than beneficial.

It goes without saying that the taste and quality of the separated creamand of the butter subsequently made from the cream to a great extentdepend upon the degree of purity ofthe air which the cream is permittedess, inasmuch as dirt and particles of dust and other foreign substancesremain-as residue in the separator. The greater part of the bacteriainthe milk, which, as a rule, are somewhat, though only slightly, heavierthan the milk, are also thrown into the residue by the centrifugalforce, in consequence of which the cream is tolerably free from bacteriawhen leaving the separator-bowl. It is therefore clearly quiteirrational to expose the cream to the action of the more or lessbacterious air of the separator-room during the separation-t. 6., duringthe time the cream runs from the separator-bowl through the cream-lidand cream-pipe and also when it drops from the cream-pipe into thereceiving vessel. If, on the contrary, the cream is protected fromcontact with this air and is allowed to come in contact withcomparatively pure air only from the outer atmosphere, the cream willremain comparatively free from bacteria.

By utilizing the current of air created in the separator by the processfor the purpose of sucking fresh pure air through a system of pipinginto the separator an effective and beneficial ventilation can beobtained, and the foul air of the work-room is at the same time excludedfrom the cream. If the abovementioned current'of air be examined, itwill befound that if the separator runs empty air is sucked in throughthe cream-pipe and through the opening where the milk is intended toenter into the machine and is ejected through the skim-milk pipe andthrough the waste-pipe, whereas when milk is allowed to enter themachine the suction of air will naturally cease at the inlet-opening forthe milk; but ejection of air will take place as before through theskim-milk pipe and the waste-pipe, the draft at the latter two open ingsbeing strong enough to put out a lighted candle, the cream-pipe and theskim-milk pipe never being completely filled by the separated milk andcream passing through them.

The process of the draft takes place somewhat differentlyin differenttypes of centrifugal cream-separators; but the chief points are alwaysthat the current of air enters into the separator through the cream-pipeand is ejected through the skim-milk pipe, which enables a beneficialventilation to be arranged by connecting the cream-pipe with the outeratmosphere. The lids of the separator must of course be tolerablyair-tight. To make this ventilating successful, it is of coursenecessary to prevent any air from the workroom from entering thecream-pipe through the opening from which the cream is ejected. This canbe effected in two different ways, as will be described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan, and Fig. 2 anelevation, of a general arrangement of a centrifugal creamseparator withthe piping or tubing for conducting fresh air into the cream-pipe and anappliance for the purpose of preventing the foul air of the work-roomfrom entering the cream-pipe through the opening from which the cream isejected. Fig. 3 shows a plan, and Fig. 4 an elevation, of a modificationdoing away with the special appliance at the opening of the cream-pipe,the cream being instead lead through a closed pipe direct into the lidof the Vessel intended to receive it and the fresh air being suckedthrough the piping into the said vessel and thence to the cream-pipe ofthe separator.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

A is the centrifugal cream-separator; B, the vessel on the samecontaining the milk to be separated.

O is the pipe through which cream is ejected from the apparatus, calledthe cream-pipe, and D the pipe through which the skim-milk is ejected.

F is the piping for conducting fresh air to the cream-pipe.

L is the vessel into which the skim-milk runs, and M the one forreceiving the cream.

0 is a spiral at the outer end of the freshair pipe intended to serve asa baffle or maze for catching dust and may be replaced by some otherappliance serving the same purpose.

In Figs. -1 and 2 a T-headed pipe E is shown attached to the end of thecream-pipe. The fresh-air pipe F is led to the shank of this T- pipe,and the bottom shank G is closed by a valve H, which is held in positionby a balance-weight K on the lever I. The arrangement of this valve canof course be varied, its object being simply to form a certainresistance to the cream collecting in the pipe G; but no air obtainsadmission. hen the Vessel B has been filled with milk and the separatorstarted, cream will run out through the cream-pipe O and skim-milkthrough thepipe D without these two pipes ever being completely filledor choked by the respective fluids. At the same time a suction will takeplace in the cream-pipe 0, fresh air entering through the air-pipe F tothe top shank of the T-pipe E and thence through the cream-pipe G intothe separator. The current of fresh air, it will be seen, meets the flowof cream running in'the opposite direction, and thus a thorough airingof the cream is effected.

The air sucked into the separator is again ejected through the skim-milkpipe D. The cream entering the T-pipe E will collect in the bottom shankG until the weight of the cream on the valve H is sufficient to open itfor a moment. A small quantity of cream will then pass through thevalve, a column of cream being always maintained in the shank G, theheight of this column being regulated by the balance-weight K, so thatthe inlet of the fresh air into the cream-pipe is not choked by thecream. By this arrange ment any access of foul air from the workroominto the cream-pipe is effectually prevented.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a modified design, the vessel M to receive the creambeing here provided with a tight-fitting lid N, to which the cream-pipeO is connected through a pipe P. The fresh-air pipe F is here ledthrough the same lid N. The cream in this case runs direct into thereceiving vessel M without coming into contact with the air of thework-room, and the fresh air is sucked in through the air-pipe F and thelid N into the cream vessel M and thence through the pipe P to thecream-pipe O and to the separator.

The introduction of the use of this new method of airing by means of myinvention should prove useful in every dairy; but its usefulness will bespecially apparent in forms where myso-called cream-freezing system hasbeen introduced, the chief points of this system being for small farmsto separate the milk daily immediately after milking and collecting thecream until a sufficient quantity has been obtained to send a fullVessel of cream to a butter-factory, the cream meanwhile being kept in afrozen or semifrozen condition. The troublesome ventilating of the milkas it has hitherto been effected by means of any known ventilatingapparatus viz., as a separate operation by itself before theseparation-will now be needless. By adopting my device the airing andthe separation of the milk are combined in one operation, thus savingtime and work to the milk producers, and the time between the milkingand the freezing of the cream is shortened to the smallest possibleamount, which of course is beneficial to the quality of the cream.

I declare that what I claim is 1. An apparatus for ventilating milk andcream during their separation by means of a cream-separator, whichapparatus comprises a cream-pipe connected to the cream-separator, asystem of tubing connected to said cream-pipe and adapted to communicatewith a source of fresh air, means for preventing foreign matter frompassing with the air through said system, and means for preventing theadmission of air from the work-room into the cream-pipe in combinationsubstantially as described.

2. An apparatus for ventilating milk and cream during their separationby means of a a source of fresh air, means for preventing foreign matterfrom passing with the air through said system, and an automaticcounterweighted valve adapted to close the discharge end of saidcream-pipe, in combination, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 15th day ofApril, 1901, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR HJALllIAR BORGSTROM.

Witnesses:

HARRY G. DWIGHT, H. AHER J oHNsoN.

